


The Story of Cassandra

by timeywimeyshenanigans



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU in a sense, Genderbend, M/M, Spoilers, Up through 8X10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-26
Updated: 2013-02-18
Packaged: 2017-11-26 22:44:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/655201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeywimeyshenanigans/pseuds/timeywimeyshenanigans
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Sam find a strange woman at their motel room. Her name is Cassandra and she seems awfully familiar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to see how Dean would react to genderbent Cass so I started writing this as a one shot just for fun. And then it just kind of spiraled out of control. This is the result.

There was a knock on the door, which was immediately suspicious, considering they had just settled in and no one outside of the room knew where they were. They were going to ignore it, but whoever was at their door was being persistent. Sam caved in first, finally going to open the door after the third round of knocking, with Dean backing him up, ready with a weapon if needed. Sam opened the door to find an unknown, yet somehow familiar face. She seemed almost as surprised to see them as they were  
to see her, her head slightly tilted in confusion. Realizing that they were expecting her to speak up, she simply stated “Are you the Winchesters?”  
Her voice was deeper than her innocent, almost childish exterior would have suggested, and it almost sounded as if she had a sore throat. This caught them temporarily off guards, but Sam quickly responded with “ Uh, yeah that’s us. Do we know you?”  
She paused briefly before answering, as if thinking it over, stating, “I suppose you do, in a sense. I’m an a..fellow hunter. I was told you needed help with a case?”  
“No, I don’t think so, it’s just a run-of-the-mill vamp hunt, sorry.”  
Her eyes fell ever so slightly at this, but she wasn’t quite ready to leave, not when this was the only place she had to go, the only people left in her life, even if they didn't know her like this.  
Dean came into the conversation at that moment, and despite himself answered her with “But, you’re welcome to stay for a while, it's always good to have an extra fighter.”  
Once they were done, she immediately came inside, and she felt, well, surprisingly at home in the cheap motel. She’d visited places like this so many times, a place with crappy wallpaper and lumpy beds would feel more natural to her than paradise itself. The only problem with it was the lack of recognition from Sam and especially Dean, the two who had taught her everything, the brothers she gave everything up for. And seeing them, alright, just hunting and being content was wonderfully bitter-sweet. She couldn't help but think that maybe, if she had never been in their lives back in her world, that things would have turned out differently. While she was lost in her thoughts, Dean and Sam quietly talked about whether or not they would actually let her stay, and for how long, and where the hell did she even come from. Before resolving anything, Dean suggested that they actually make proper introductions, and Sam grudgingly agreed, knowing that even though this would probably result in Dean flirting, it might also provide some necessary information.  
“So, I never caught your name..”, said Dean, with a bit of a smirk.  
“Cassandra,” was her simple response, not feeling any need to elaborate.  
And that's when it clicked for Sam. Cassandra. Cas? Holy crap, that's why she seemed so damn familiar. The blank expression, the slight confusion, the voice, even the clothing she was wearing (a combination of a light brown overcoat, black pants, a white blouse, all that was missing was the tie, but in it's place- a dark blue scarf, unevenly tied), it was so similar to Castiel. She even arrived as they were calling for him. Oh god. Dean was completely about to start hitting on her. At this moment, Sam was at a bit of an impasse, for while he felt he should probably save Dean from his own obliviousness, it would also be freaking hilarious to see how this all played out. For now, Sam decided to remain silent.  
“So, Cassandra, I'm assuming you'll be staying close by, and hopefully joining us for the hunt?”  
“Oh, yes. So I can stay.”  
“Yeah, I don't see why not. Wanna grab the room next door?”  
“Oh, I won't be needing that.”  
“Well, there's only two beds, so, I mean, if you want”  
“No, I won't be needing a place to sleep. But I would like to watch over...keep a look-out.”  
“Mmm, you sure? My bed is definitely large enough for the both of us.”  
While this was all very amusing from Sam's perspective, Cassandra looked so uncertain and uncomfortable about the situation, Sam felt the need to interfere.  
“Dean, come on, lay off.”  
Dean put on a slight grin, replying “Hey, sorry, just having a bit of fun with the new kid. But, in all seriousness, you take the bed, I can crash on the couch.”  
“No, that won't be necessary. But you two should both get some rest, I'll be here in the morning.”  
That was all the excuse they needed, and the brothers quickly crashed, considering it was about 1 am and it had been a long day of driving. Cassandra settled herself onto the couch and waited, not willing to leave them, not even for a minute, not when they were finally back. She found her eyes often wandering over to Dean, focusing on the steady rise and fall of his chest, the way that this seemed to be the only time he looked truly at peace. Something inside her ached to climb next to him, but she quickly ignored it. This was not, and never would be, her Dean. To him, she was a stranger, and as much as that hurt, she couldn't just ignore it. This was not her world, her universe, and things were different, the sooner she accepted that, the better.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh Dean and your denial

Sam was the first to wake up and, sure enough, Cassandra was there, patiently waiting. Sam gave her a slight smile, and she responded with a blank stare. Typical.  
“You didn't disappear last night.”  
“No, was I supposed to ? I was lead to believe I would be helping with the hunt today,” replied Cass, trying to eliminate the slight worry in her voice.  
“Yeah, of course you're helping, we already agreed on that,” replied Sam, but then, seeing an opportunity while Dean was still asleep, continued on with, “So, what's your story, anyway? You're supposedly a hunter, but we've never heard of you. Plus, how the hell did you know we were here? I mean, we haven't even contacted Garth about it, let alone you.”  
How was she supposed to respond to that. _Well, actually, I'm not a hunter, I'm an angel from an alternate universe where you and I are actually quite good friends, and I thought you called me, so that's how I located you, and, well, we've been through a lot together, but you don't know anything about it because you're not you, even though that doesn't make any sense, and, well... ___  
Luckily she was spared from having to provide an explanation, for with the sounding of an alarm, Dean shuffled out of bed. Sam gave Cassandra a looking saying 'We'll talk later' before leaving to go take a shower, and she let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in. Dean, half asleep, mumbled something about getting ready, got vamps to kill, and then grumbled about Sam hogging all the hot water. That's when he remembered Cassandra, and immediately became more alert, straightening up, and trying to appear more presentable.  
“Did you sleep well, Dean?”  
“Yeah, fine. Better than fine, actually, got a few more hours of sleep than usual.”  
A small, slightly awkward smile was exchanged between them, and then, trying to keep the conversation going, or at least break the silence, Dean continued on, saying “Well, are you going to get ready, 'cause we're heading out pretty soon.”  
Blank stare. Confused tilt of the head. Incredibly enticing.  
“You know, change into some different clothes, take a shower, etc.”  
“I don't have a change of clothing.”  
“Oh. Well, I suppose that later we could, umm, go shopping, or...”   
Dean felt a blush creep up on his cheeks, and silently chastised himself for it. He was acting like a god damn schoolgirl with a crush, and he had no idea why. Just something about Cassandra, made him want to, oh god, what? Pull her into his arms, protect her, and ultimately sacrifice everything for her, if necessary? Almost as if he knew that she would do the same, that, hell, she had already given up so much for him.   
“Hey, you know what, we'll go get some things later, all right? That's assuming you're willing to stay after we go gank those son of a bitches.”  
Cassandra looked up at him, and the hope in her eyes was obvious, even if her expression didn't show it. That hope made Dean's heart jump a bit, and yet again he internally scolded himself. What the hell was wrong with him? He felt like he was in a damn chick flick, with all the disgustingly sweet and sappy things going through his head whenever he saw her. Still, there was something about her piercing blue eyes, ill-fitting clothes, and unruly hair that drove him wild just thinking about it. He shook his head slightly, internally telling himself to get a grip, and all three of them headed towards the impala.  
The drive was only about fifteen minutes long, but as it was filled with an uncomfortable silence, it seemed much longer. Finally, they got to the edge of the woods where the nest was located, and all of them clambered out, the boys grabbing weapons from the trunk, and Cass starting to wander off before Dean caught her coat and kept her from continuing.  
“Woah, hey, you are not going in there unarmed, okay? Not going to happen. Now come one, grab some stakes and then we'll all go in there. Together.”  
Cassandra blinked in surprise, for she had forgotten that Dean didn't know that she didn't really need weapons when she had power, but quickly recovered.  
“Yes, I suppose that would be best. This is not effective against vampires, is it?”   
Much to Dean's surprise, she held up the typical angel sword, and then quickly put it away for favour of a classic wooden stake. Dean was about to question her, but she quickly walked passed him before he could inquire any further.


	3. Chapter 3

Both Dean and Sam had to admit, Cass could certainly handle herself in a fight. The nest had quite a few more members than they had initially thought. As Sam and Dean both were struggling to survive, Cassie appeared out of freaking nowhere, running through vamps in a emotionless, efficient, and completely deadly manner. Needless to say, she ended up saving both their asses, and, well, Dean had to admit that, besides the mortal danger, it had been pretty damn hot. He always had been attracted to the type of person that could walk in, kill every monster, and then walk back out without ever saying a word. If Sam hadn't been present, the flirting would have gone up tenfold as soon as they had gotten back to the Impala.  
Well, Sam had to admit, she was most definitely a hunter. And get this, her fighting style had been almost exactly the same as their Cas's. Also, Dean was an oblivious bastard. Sam could see the bedroom eyes, maybe even love, on Dean's face as clearly as day, especially after the hunt. Sam knew that he should probably intervene, before things got to out of hand, but the sly bastard part of him won out, knowing it would be hilarious when the fact that Dean was smitten for a female version of Cas finally dawned on him. The entire ride back to the motel was once again silent, but more of an exhausted one then and awkward one, though things were helped by the fact that Sam had an 'inexplicable' smirk on his face the entire time. Once they got back, Dean immediately dismissed him with a glare and a “We're getting two rooms. And no, it's not like that, perv. Three beds for three people.”  
Sam held up his hands in a mock-defensive gesture, before replying “Hey, I didn't say anything. You two have fun,” and then quickly left a confused Cassandra and embarrassed Dean to their own devices.  
“So, umm, Cas, er, Cassie. Thanks for, you know, saving our asses back there. You're one helluva fighter.”  
Dean turned to her, a slight blush spreading across his face, and he realized that he's freaking flustered by this chick. It really didn't help that she was tilting her head and studying him, which for some reason, was just to damn adorable. Crap. He's known this woman for less than 48 hours, and he had already fallen for her.  
In response, she was studying him, slightly afraid, and thrilled, at what she found in his gaze. He was currently giving her the same look that she had seen on her Dean a thousand times, a look filled with love. And that really was terrifying, because he was so much like the man she knew, and it made it so much harder to deny that it wasn't actually him. This Dean..this Dean wasn't hers, and she wasn't his. In this universe, they were just the angel and the human to each other, not my human and my angel. She found it hard to maintain eye contact with him, and took up a sudden interest in her shoes.  
“Thank you, Dean. I just wish I could have been operating at my full potential.”  
Dean said nothing, just going in closer to her, eliminating what little personal space there had been, and then lifted her chin with his hand, so that they were looking directly into each other's eyes.  
“Cassie, is this all right?”  
Cassandra, unsure of what to do about all of this, simply gives a slightly hesitant nod, wondering what, exactly, Dean is about to do.  
Dean, in turn, leans in until their lips touch in chaste and sweet kiss, and he can feel his heart jump to his throat when he notices that she's actually kissing back. He pulls back, his face almost blissful, when he opens his eyes to find a look of terror on Cassandra's face.  
“Hey, Cas, you okay? I mean, I thought that this was fine by you.”  
Cass tries to compose herself before responding, though her voice still comes out rather shaky, saying, “No. You're not..you're not my Dean.”  
“What?”  
she lets out a small sigh, then, reaching down her shirt collar, she pulls out a necklace... with a wedding ring on the end. Dean gives a slightly stunned look, but before he can say anything, she continues on.  
“You're not my Dean Winchester. You are not the Dean that gave me this ring, you are not the same man that I have been to hell and back with. This is not my universe, for, in this one, my name is not Cassandra, but Castiel. And my vessel, went by the name 'Jimmy' rather than 'Jenny' Novak. This has resulted in us being just the angel and the human, not my angel and my human. So, I'm sorry, but I must leave.”  
And with that, Cassandra vanished, despite Dean calling out several times. When it was made clear that she wasn't coming back, Dean simply sighed, let out a quiet “Fuck,” and headed back to the room that Sam had.  
Sam hadn't been expecting anyone to come in, but he couldn't say he was exactly surprised either, considering. Still, he had to reap the benefits of letting this play out, and, with a smirk, he asked “Lover's quarrel, eh?”  
It was when Dean didn't react in any of the traditional ways, but just gave a slightly dejected look and a quiet “Yeah,” that Sam realised how bad it was. He gave Dean a worried look, to which Dean responded with a quick glare that said 'Just drop it, okay?'. So Sam backed off, allowing Dean to brood in silence.  
Crap. Dean was failing to understand why her disappearance had effected him so much. Scratch that, he knew why, but he was going to deny it anyway. He had fallen, hard, for this woman that he had only known for two days. Then again, maybe it was more like four years. She was, after all, essentially Cas. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen that earlier, or maybe he had chosen to be ignorant on the matter. Crap. He was struggling to face the reality that he had ignored for awhile; he was completely, utterly, irrevocably in love with the nerdy angel. He couldn't really just pretend it wasn't true any more, since,well, the only difference between 'just friends' and friggin' 'just married' seemed to be the gender of the vessel. And, well, Dean was beginning to wonder if that actually mattered. Crap.  
Dean ended up falling asleep after a few hours despite his racing mind. He didn't have any particularly strange dreams, and he was unsure of how exactly he had gotten a few hours in, but that didn't matter any more. He awoke with a start to the sound of flapping wings, and found Cassandra standing at the edge of the couch, waiting.  
“Dammit, Cass! How many times have I told you not to do that?!”  
“I apologize Dean.”  
Dean's expression softened noticeably, and he couldn't really contain all of the anger that he had gathered up the past day. With a sigh, he continued, “So, what's up Cassie, I kind of got the impression that you weren't coming back.”  
She found it hard to meet his eyes,but forced herself to look at him and not stare at her feet when she spoke to him.  
“I...I need your help Dean. I'm having trouble getting back to heaven, and I fear I may have been compromised.”  
“Compromised?”  
“I fear that my will..is not my own. So many of my thoughts, my actions, feel foreign, wrong, unlike my own. I believe that Castiel may be in a similar situation. Have you noticed any unusual behaviour from him?”  
“Yeah, you could say that, ever since he's gotten back from Purgatory he's been acting strangely. Especially the whole thing with Alfie, what the hell was that?”  
Cass's eyes fell to the floor after remembering what had happened that night, just replying with a small, “Yes, Samandriel. I...”  
“So, Cassie, wadda ya need?”  
“I was hoping...that you could come to heaven with me, help me find, and destroy, whatever is controlling me.”  
“Done.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean finds a strange man where he was expecting his wife to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is actually back in Cassandra's universe, just to see what's going on. Also, for some reason, in this universe Dean is slightly more clever and willing to have chick flick moments.

Dean hurried excitedly towards the door, knowing that only one person could be knocking, the person that he had been praying to for weeks. So when he opened the door only to find a strange man with a blank expression, he felt his elation quickly turn to confusion, and let out a gruff, “What do you want?”  
Cas tilted his head slightly, not expecting this reaction from Dean, and answered, “You called me, Dean. I was lead to believe you were in need of assistance.”  
He responded with a slightly incredulous look before answering, “No, I was calling for my wife. Now who the hell are you and how did you know my name?”  
Cas's confusion deepened at this comment, unaware that Dean had a a wife and unsure of why he hadn't recognized him, but nonetheless gave the response of, “My name is Castiel, I'm an angel of the Lord, and I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition.”  
It was at this point that Sam started cracking up, the pieces falling into place, and Dean had to shoot him several slightly bemused glares before he could stop and explain.  
“Dean, hate to break it to you, but your wife's a dude.”  
Dean contemplated this for a moment, studying the strange, and strangely familiar, man in front of him, and asked, “Did you rebel against heaven?”  
A small nod.  
“And why did you do that?”  
Without missing a beat, Cas blurts out, “For you.”  
“And that whole desperate charade to stop Raphael?”  
“For you,” Cas admitted, guiltily.  
“And running away in Purgatory?”  
“For you. To protect you.”  
“And the reason that you're here now?”  
“For you.  
Dean slight suspicion develops into a fond smile and heshakes his head slightly, saying, “You never change.”  
Then, to the surprise of Sam and Cas, Dean walks closer to Cas, puts his hands on the angel's jaw and pulls him into a kiss, soft and deliberate, and Cas could feel him smiling into it. He was too surprised by it to respond, but he felt his heart leap into his throat, and it was only then he truly realised how much he'd wanted this, hungered after it. Dean ended up pulling away, a smile still on his face.  
When he noticed the stunned silence that was surrounding him, he stared directly at Cas and told him, “Listen, Cas, hon, I love you, okay? It doesn't matter what vessel you're in or whatever. It's not your vessel that I fell for, it's the multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent that is inherently you that I care about, no matter what form.”  
“Dean, I...”  
Before anything more could come out, Dean cut him off with, “But, look, I know you're not exactly my Cas, are you? What happened, some flying heavenly douchebag poof you over to a new reality?”  
Shifting nervously, Cas simply said, “It would appear so.”  
Being able to read his angel's behaviours like no other and noting the distant actions, Dean continued further, asking, “Cas, babe, you all right?”  
Cas then met his eyes with incredible intensity, surprising even himself when he just told Dean an honest, “No. I fear..I fear I am being controlled in some way.”  
Dean mulled this over for a moment, then nodded as it seemed to settle in his thoughts.  
“Controlled? Yeah, I guess that makes sense, looking at recent events. So, who do we gotta gank to make things better?”  
Cas had a look of surprise cross his features, then it was replaced with a hesitant hope. He wouldn't help but wonder if Dean was truly willing to be of assistance, considering the risks.  
“I am unsure, I know that I would require your help, and that would probably mean taking you to Heaven with me. It would be extremely risky and I cannot guarantee that you would make it back.”  
Without any hesitation, Dean stated, “Done. Let's go.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra and Dean go back to Heaven. Cassandra is drowning in guilt, Dean is having none of that crap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to the slightly more canon universe. This is where most of the chapters will take place, we just get to see snippet's from Cassandra's universe, with most of the story taking place in canon. (canon, of course, being a relative term)

With few complications, they arrived in the middle of a vast, bright, overall pleasant garden with the sun high and sky cloudless. Most people would have found some happiness, or at least peace, upon arriving here, but the angel and the hunter were not exactly 'most people'. Both of them hated it instantly, but for very different reasons. Dean just felt completely out of place in the saccharine sweet environment, jumpy and inching to kill something. Cass has had too many memories here for it too be a home to her any more, and she looks on it with more sadness than anything else.  
“Hey, Cassie, I don't wanna offend you or anything, but I kinda loathe this place.”  
“I would have to agree.”  
For a brief second, he smiled at the irony of an angel hating Heaven, but it was quickly wiped away when he noticed the tears brimming in her eyes.  
“Hey, babe, what's up?”  
She let out a small sigh, gathering her words, before saying, “This place, it used..it used to be full of my siblings and now there is emptiness. This is also the place where many of my brethren fell, and all of them, they were lost, killed, by my hand.”  
Dean could feel his chest tighten with panic welling up inside of him, remembering his earlier conversation with Castiel. No, no, he couldn't let that happen, couldn't let the guilt consume her until there was nothing left, couldn't let the angel he cares about most in this world and the next die, especially not by his or her own hand. He had to tell her how much he needed her, in any way he could, and make her believe it.  
“Hey, listen, that was _not_ your fault, not even close. You weren't you, Cassie. All those souls of freaking monsters were inside you, and that changed the way you acted. I mean, come on, I'm pretty damn certain that you wouldn't have gone around doing the things you did if you hadn't been influenced by crap that came from Purgatory.”  
“Dean, you really don't understand, it was my choice to open up Purgatory, mine and mine alone, despite how much you, the person I trust most, advised against it.”  
“that doesn't freaking matter, okay? It's not like you opened it so you could become an ultra-powerful crazed murder machine. It was so you could, and did, stop that dick Raphael, who, might I add, was trying to restart the _apocalypse_. You had good intentions all right? You saved the world..you save me.”  
Fire blazed in her eyes, angry that even now, Dean was still, still, trying to defend her, even after everything. Especially considering how much it would hurt when he knew it all, and hated her for the truth. Still, she had to explain, and it seemed the only way it would come out without her voice cracking was to snap at him.  
“Dean! I am the one to blame, this is all my responsibility, and I should have been left to pay my penance. Even now, I cannot stop killing my brethren, despite everything screaming, telling me not to! And the worst part, the part that makes it so painfully true, is that some small part of the little remaining consciousness I had, well, I enjoyed it! Despite the fact that I was being torn apart and destroying everything, I craved, I loved, the power. After millennia of always being under the thumb of my superiors, of so many instances of being helpless, the control over everything, being able to decide anything I wanted, it was corrupting, and it was addicting. But It was also one of the few times I have felt..that I have felt truly content.  
Cass finishes her confession, tears threatening to spill, and she forces herself to await a response instead of disappearing right then and here. She needs to know.  
“Wow. That's messed up.”  
She looks back up at Dean in surprise, not expecting his calm tone and simple reply. Unsure of how to respond, she simply states, “Yes, I'm aware that this is 'messed up'.”  
“But I can't say that I blame you.”  
Cassandra then has an incredulous look on her face, none of this was what she expected, and it just strengthens her faith in this, _in her_ , righteous man. Still, seeing her confusion and having not quite said everything he needs to, he elaborates.  
“Look, Cassie, you strip anyone down far enough, and they become different, cruel, heartless. Anyone, you hear me? Even an angel. I know, I've been there. You do not realize how much I get it, okay? Remember when we first met? You said that I thought I didn't deserve to be saved, and it's true. Because that raw, horrid, twisted sense of enjoyment? That's how I felt torturing souls down in Hell. So this self-loathing bullshit? Don't think for a second that I don't understand, but let's just say that's there only allowed to be one of us who can't face ourselves in the mirror at a time, all right? And right now, I get dibs on that position, because, well, my faults are all entirely mine. Yours? Yours were while you were being controlled by leviathan douche-bags and Not. Your. Fault, you hear me? You can hate yourself all you want when you've actually done something of your own volition. Until then, not only do I need you to be okay, but I just flat out need you, okay. _I literally cannot stand to live in a world without you._ Plain and simple. So, yeah, stop blaming yourself, 'cause certainly no one else does, and I need you far too much for that.”  
“Dean, I..”  
“Hey, don't mention it. So, where do we need to get to?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meetup at the Roadhouse

Since Cassandra didn't know how to get to the white office that held her meeting spot with Naomi, so she ended up taking them both to the expert on how to get around Heaven without getting caught. Meaning, she went to Ash and the Roadhouse.   
The Roadhouse (well, the celestial replication of it at least) was much busier than it had been before, and when Dean looked at the crowd closer, he felt his breath catch in his throat. Many of the people there, well, there were his family. Bobby was chatting up Ellen with a smile on his face, leaning on the bar and looking more carefree than he had since, well, since Dean had known him. Jo was serving up drinks to Rufus and a few other guests he didn't know, but assumed they had been hunters too. But the sight that had the most profound impact on him was the three people in a table towards the back. There was his parents, together and smiling, talking with his grandfather, Henry. It seemed as though they had all reconciled, and Dean could feel the tears at the back of his throat. He walked over in a slight daze, and addressed them with a small, “Mom? Dad?”  
They all looked up at him, fondness and love found in each of their gazes, and his dad was the one to speak up first.   
“Hey there, kiddo. I was just talking to Dad, well, your grandfather here. He told me you two met, actually, and everything that happened. We've, well, we've gotten back in touch. Also, Dean as much as I love you, I can't say I'm trilled to see you. I was kind of hoping you wouldn't turn up for many years to come.”  
Dean gave a slight nod then said, “Oh, nah, I'm just visiting. I got an angel to pop me up here, we gotta go gank some bitch up here. Then I'll be back on Earth and taking care of Sammy.”  
John gave him a sceptical look at the mention of an 'angel' but weirder things had happened lately, and, well, since he had gotten out of Hell anything seemed possible and he shrugged it off. Mary then stood up and enveloped Dean in a warm, loving hug.  
“Oh, my child. It's wonderful to see you again, but only because you get to leave again.”  
She then affectionately ruffled his hair and continued, “Wow you've grown up since I last saw you. Wish I could have been there to watch it happen.”  
Dean felt the tears well up at how much her voice strained when she said this, and he gave her a quiet, “Yeah, me too.”  
Luckily, Cass popped up next to him before this sob-fest could get much further. Startling them both, she went up to Dean's side and quietly told him, “I'm sorry Dean. While I'm aware that you have missed your family, we should be going soon.”  
Dean turned his head back to her and replied, “Yeah, I know. Can I just have a few more minutes?”  
Cass gave a slight nod, saying, “That is acceptable.”  
Mary looked at her with a slight smile and asked Dean, “So, who is this, anyway?”  
Dean's response was simply, “This is the aforementioned angel, Cassandra. She's, uh, helping me out.”  
“Hello.”  
Mary let out a small, content sigh, saying, “Oh, well, she's just lovely.”  
Dean muttered something along the lines of “Yeah, well she's usually a dude so...”. He didn't mean for it to be heard by anyone else, but damn Bobby over heard anyway.  
“Wait. Are you telling me that that's Cas?”  
Dean stammered a bit, replying, “Yeah. No. I dunno, man. Basically, she's an alternate version of him. She came from a parallel universe or something where the vessel she chose was female, a Jenny Novak instead of Jimmy.”  
Bobby gave him a suspicious look and asked, “What you been praying for lately, boy.”  
Dean felt his cheeks flare up, protesting, “Hey, no, it's not like that. We don't know how it happened. Anyway, where's our expert on all things hacking?”  
Ash then looked up from his code that he had been previously engaged in, and gave them a nod and smile and called them over.  
“So what's up guys? What do you need from the master hacker?”  
“We gotta find some-place, that isn't exactly on the map. Hell, it's not even on the floor plans.”  
Cass chimes in, adding the information of, “It is a meeting place, much like that of a typical office.”  
Ash gives him a slightly wide eyed look, asking,”Wait, you haven't been seeing the Naomi chick lately, have you?”  
Cassandra gives a nod, saying, “Yes, that is who I've come to confront.”  
Ash looks at her with an almost impressed look, saying, “Man, you must have gotten in some deep shit if you know about her. It's gonna be hard to get you there, but have no fear, 'cause I got your guy's backs.”  
Ash types away at his computer for a minute or two, when a new doorway forms towards the back of the bar. He then gestures at it, telling them, “Just head out that way, keep going through doors, and you'll get there soon enough. Also, good luck with ganking that bitch.”  
Dean gives a half smile towards Ash, one corner of his mouth pulling up, and he quickly gives his family a wave good-bye. He then proceeds to grab Cass's hand, throw open the door, and jump with her into the unknown.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Confrontation with Naomi

Fortunately, they only had to journey through a few places before they arrived to their destination. Garth had tried to get the most direct route he could, and he managed to spare them from reliving too many memories.  
The place they found themselves was much like that of a typical front desk, except no one was around and everything gave a false sense of purity. Not seeing anyone to address, they waited for a bit before starting to open doors and head down hallways. What they hadn't accounted for was the fact that the entire place changed as they went on, doorways moving places, dead ends showing up, it was a constantly shifting maze that they had stumbled upon.  
That hardly dissuaded them, though, Cassandra almost instinctively knowing which turn to take, as if she had wandered the halls for all of her existence. This didn't mean that she got it perfect though, and they ended up charging into the wrong offices. With each new person that they encountered, Cassandra became increasingly nervous, not recognizing any of the faces that stared them down. If this was truly Heaven, she thought she should recognize someone, considering she thought she had known every angel still in existence. It was completely unnerving, and slowly Cass convinced herself that this wasn't worth it, that she didn't need to be helped, that Dean should just go back to Earth and never have anything to do with her again. Just as she was about to suggest turning around and taking him home, Dean kicked down the final door to the office of one Naomi.  
Naomi let a small look of surprise pass across her features before her cold, calculating demeanour came back.  
“Cassandra, hello. You seem to be in the wrong universe. And with Dean Winchester, nonetheless. Funny, I don't remember calling upon you.”  
Dean sneered at her, hating superior assholes like her, when he noticed that Cassie wasn't beside him. He looked around the room only to find his angel cowering in a corner, trembling and looking terrified beyond all reason. All she could remember was the pain, and she couldn't do it, she couldn't face her.  
That was all it took for Dean's anger to flare up far beyond control, hatred burning in his eyes. No one messes with his angel in this way, he didn't care how much of a super-powerful mega-crazy bitch you were, if you did this to someone he cared about, he was gonna gank your ass.  
Dean gave a bit of a smirk, his adrenalin taking over as he casually walked right up to her said, “Yeah, well, I've never been one for making appointments.”  
With that, he growled a bit as he took out the angel sword and quickly went for the fatal stab. Normally, this would have been the end of it, but with an impossibly quick reaction, she caught the sword's end before it could even touch her. Dean didn't have time to react before she gave a wave of her hand and tossed him aside, slammed him into the wall, and made him crumple from unconsciousness in the corner.  
“Look's like your little pet wasn't as effective as you hoped, Cassandra.”  
The sudden realization of the situation brought Cass out of the many horrors she had been reliving in her head, and she gave a wide-eyed look towards Naomi, waiting for her to make her next move.  
Naomi confidently walked over towards the spot where Cassandra was, smiling coldly and telling her, “Cassandra, I thought you wanted to pay your penance, but now I realise that you are far too violent and willing to kill for that to ever be a possibility. And honestly, I'm insulted Cassandra, for you to think that your little human toy over her could defeat me. Cute. But unfortunately, you must now be punished. It seems like the only thing that would be suitable would be for you to dispose of Dean Winchester.”  
Naomi then leaned towards Cassandra, until their eyes were level, and quietly told her, “Kill him.”  
That was the moment that all fear, all doubt, all expression fled from Cassandra. She became completely unreadable, and she didn't speak a word as she stood up slowly and respectfully. She then dusted herself off and headed over to Dean, grabbing the angel sword from his hand with a murderous glint in her eyes. For a moment, she looked as if she was going to be obedient, but then she straightened back up and walked towards Naomi. Without revealing any sort of emotion, she said, “I believe the correct terminology here is a 'Fuck you' followed by a 'Bring it, Bitch'.”  
She then closed her eyes and reopened them, light pouring out in all directions with holy righteousness. Her wings expanded far past the confining dimensions of the room. She quickly threw some of her grace to shield the still-unconscious Dean, and then let her true form blaze with incredible power. It was a power that managed to dissipate Naomi's own, until the only thing they could do was personal combat, their swords mutually flashing at speeds far too high for a mortal to see. Naomi was an incredible swordsman though, but Cassandra had anticipated that, they had, after all, been trained as soldiers. There skills were matched, parrying each other's throws, blocking every attempt, but as time went on and they began to exhaust, Cass ended up having one advantage. While Naomi was acting under orders, doing what she must, Cassandra was fighting not for herself, but for the person that she loved more than creation itself, and that gave her the final push that meant her victory. In the end, neither knew quite how it happened, but Cassandra managed to get in that fatal blow, sticking her sword through Naomi and killing her, for good, hopefully. The thing she remembered most about that moment was Naomi's expression, it wasn't one of surprise, or regret, but of pure, unbridled rage and hate. That was when Cassandra knew that this was one of the few deaths by her hand that she would never live to regret.  
Her energy and grace were almost entirely exhausted from the fight, but she used what she had to awaken Dean and pull them back to Earth. As soon as she had gotten Dean back to the motel room and safe, she promptly slumped to the floor, barely conscious and her breathing shallow. Sam and Dean rushed to her, Dean crouching over her and picking her up in his arms, and started talking to her, quickly and urgently.  
“Hey, hey, no, Cas, no, you're not gonna go, all right? You hear me? You're gonna be just fine, okay? Just fine, I promise.”  
Cassandra sleepily looked up at him and gave a small smile, weakly replying, “I highly doubt that, Dean, but thank you anyway.”  
And with that, her head slumped as she went into unconsciousness, though she was still alive, still breathing, which gave Dean hope.  
“Hey no, Cas. Wake up, please. Cas! CAS!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be wish fufilment and Dean finally stabbing that bitch, but then my brain said, 'You know what this needs? More angsty conflict'. Why did I listen?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back in Cassandra's universe for a chapter, probably the last one in her's, like i said, most of the story takes place in (slightly more) canonverse. Also, in this universe, Gabriel is alive, so, you know, no one questions it.

“Cas! Cas!”   
No no no no no no, this was not going to happen, the love of his life was _not_ going to die in his arms, not right after he had gotten free. If there was one thing that Dean knew, above all else, it was that Cas, whether it be Castiel or Cassandra or whatever, was not going to go out like this.   
Dean looked up towards his brother, panic and tears filling his eyes, and searched for something, anything that could fix this. Sam looked at him in earnest and helped him pick Castiel up and carry him over to bed while he told Dean, “Hey, look, man, yelling isn't going to help anything. The guy probably seriously needs some rest. Now keep an eye on him, but let him sleep, okay?”  
Dean gave a small nod, still uncertain and worried, but he calmed down significantly as he could hear Cas's breaths started to get deeper and his face became more restful. No sooner that he let out a slight sigh that Gabriel decided to just pop in for a chat. At first, the smug bastard had a smirk on his face, but it instantly fell as he saw Cas lying in bed, and it was replaced with a surprisingly concerned and almost angry look as he turned to Dean and demanded, “What the hell did you do to my baby brother? This was _not_ how things were supposed to go.”  
Dean felt fire blaze up in his eyes as he snarled and said, his voice a low hiss, “Gabriel. I should've known you did this. I swear to God if you made him like this, if you made him get hurt...”  
Gabe raised his hands up in defensive gesture and said, “Whoa, hey big boy, this was not my fault. I mean, yeah, I temporarily gave you a different version of your beloved angel to teach a different version of you a little lesson, so I borrowed your wife for a bit while you had some fun with this guy, but they weren't supposed to go out and nearly get themselves killed. Seriously, I can't freaking leave you two alone for a minute! Anyway, I have to go for a second, but when I get back I'll do what I can, okay?”  
Gabriel then disappeared with a flutter of wings, and Dean felt his anger dissipate as quickly as it had arrived. If Gabriel was acting serious, he knew that things weren't exactly looking good. He had come back almost as quickly as he had promised, looking tired and frustrated and entirely different from the Gabriel they had always known.  
“God, what is it with your family and having this desperate need to self-sacrifice?”  
Dean was really not in the mood to hear this, but before he could snap Gabe walked over to the bed and placed his hand on Castiel's head briefly, and the worried look he had on became deeper and more sympathetic as he turned towards Dean.   
“I'm sorry, but I can't fix this. I thought, I thought I could heal him, and I can, physically, but, well, he's completely exhausted his grace down to nothing, there's nothing I can do about that.”  
“So what exactly does that mean for him.”  
“Well, in a sense, he'll be fine, he just..won't exactly be cloud surfing or anything like that.”  
“He's gonna be human then. Well, that's better than being dead, isn't it?”  
Gabriel gave a slight nod, saying, “Yeah, marginally, I guess,” and opened his hand to reveal a healing light. Yet, just before he touched Cas's head to help him, he paused, instead picking him up and disappearing once again. He came back with Cassandra and laid her down on the bed, explaining by saying, “I figure they should at least be back in their own universes when they wake up, don't you?”  
He then reached down and completed what he had started, and her back arched slightly at his touch before she slumped back down, looking infinitely better than she had moments before. Gabriel knew she was to wake up at any moment, so he quickly said, “That's all I can do, but I hope it helps,” and left.   
Cassandra's eyes fluttered open and Dean quickly rushed over to her side, took her hand, and asked, “Hey, honey, how are you feeling?”  
She looked up at him with a heartbreaking smile and quietly said, “I'm all right Dean.”  
Then glancing down at his hand and noticing the wedding band, she added, “And it would appear that I'm home, too.”  
Dean smiled at this, looking at her with an increasing hope behind the sadness, and replied, “Yeah, yes, you're home now. You're home.”  
Her smile became slightly sadder as she added, “And I'm human.”  
Dean's expression fell, almost imperceptibly as he said, “Yeah, but no one cares if you're human or angel, none of that matters.”  
“You're right, Dean, it doesn't matter. As long as I can be human with you.”  
“Always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops more angst. Also, sorry for non-fun, non-sassy Gabriel, but I feel like he genuinely cares about his family, and thus occasionally he acts a bit more serious.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter back in canon to finish this up. Thank you all so much who have read this far, but I'm afraid that if I went any further with the story it would become more about the advnetures of human!Cas and Dean, and, well, that's a story for another fic.

Gabriel. Goddamn Gabriel, of course he was the one who had switched them. Dean was a bit peeved by this, but, well, Cas was back now, so he couldn't complain too much. Actually, he could, but it was for completely different reasons. Friggin Cas and his stupid self-sacrificing nature. Sometimes Dean had to recognize how much he really was like family. He looked over to where Cas was, and he still hadn't woken up. And he was human. Dean ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, walking over to Cas's bed and leaning beside him. He watched the former angel closely, but for know, Cas just appeared to be sleeping peacefully, face smushed into the pillow and hair falling over his face. Dean resisted the temptation to push the hair out of the way, instead remaining still and closely monitoring Cas. Dean slipped into his thoughts, wondering about everything that had happened with Cassandra, whether or not he should tell Cas how he felt, how much the man before him had sacrificed. Whether it was minutes or hours before Cas began to stir, Dean was unsure, but it snapped him out of his thoughts. Cas started to shift about, mumbling slightly, as he raised his head and wide blue eyes meet green. He gave a soft smile and a simple, “Hello Dean.”  
“Hey Cas. How you doing man? I hear you went into a hell of a battle with that Naomi bitch.”  
Cas's smile seemed almost half regretful, remembering that once again he had to be the solider, but nonetheless he was grateful to have gotten control.  
“Yes, it was a bit of a difficult task to defeat her, but manageable. And I'm all right.”  
The corners of Dean's mouth began to creep up slightly, until a certain thought entered his mind and left him horror-struck.  
“Cas?”  
“Mmm?”  
“You didn't..you didn't intend to go into that fight and not come out, did you? I mean, you obviously wanted to stop Naomi, but did you, you know, want to stop yourself too?”  
Dean had hoped that this would would be a ridiculous suggestion, that Cas would give a derisive scoff or something similar. Yet, the way that Cas just dropped his eyes and his smile faded, it was made clear that this was true.   
“Cas...”  
“It's all right Dean. I'm fine, aren't I? I made it out alive and without being too beat up, beyond losing my powers.”  
“No, man, I mean, you can't keep doing this to yourself. Felling like you need to be punished, well, it's bullshit Cas. You thought I deserved to be saved, didn't you? And I am far worse than you could ever dream of being, so what the hell man? Are you really so hypocritical that you can't see yourself as the righteous man?”  
“I suppose you're right Dean.”  
Cas hardly sounded convinced, and Dean had no problem noticing that his best friend was still rather distressed. He sat up a bit, and gave a small sigh as he gave in to the temptation to finally push that damn piece of hair out of the way. How was he ever going to convince his best friend of how good he was, ow much he needed him? He could only think of one thing really, and, well, he had been to hell, to purgatory, and back, he could die tomorrow, he doubted he would make it past middle-aged, so why the hell not. Dean took Cas's face in his hand, and pulled him slightly closer as he leaned in. He placed a kiss on the man's lips, which were surprisingly soft against his own. It was a short kiss, soft, sweet and chaste, but it said everything that Dean failed to find words for. He pulled away, his eyes still closed and his expression forlorn as he whispered in a desperate voice, “Please. Please don't..don't go anywhere. Okay?”  
Cas looked up at Dean, his eyes wide with wonder, and a genuine smile spread wide across his features. If Dean needed him here, he was going to stay, no matter what. Maybe he could repay some of his penance by helping out the hunter, his hunter. So, he resolved that it would be good to simply give a nod and give a short response.   
“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the end was decent! So, yeah, Dean finally got over his damn denial, and all it took was a genderbent!Cas, a trip to Hevean, and an angel losing his powers. And, once again, thank you for reading!


End file.
